Will not allow removal of govt on JIT report: CJP NisarThe News International (Dec 31, 2018)

ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the federal government to review its decision of placing 172 suspects named in the JIT report on the Exit Control List (ECL).

When the hearing resumed Monday, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar expressed anger on the government over putting CM Sindh and other politicians on the ECL list and remarked that we will not allow to dislodge the government on the basis of JIT report.

A two-member bench of the top court comprising CJP Nisar and Justice Ijazul Ahsen was hearing the case regarding an investigation into the fake transactions worth billions conducted through several mainstream banks via ‘benami’ accounts.

The court had asked the persons named in the JIT report to submit their replies but the government put their name son the no-fly list, the CJP observed. Who did this? He asked the Attorney General.

“How can you bar the Chief Executive of the country’s second largest province from traveling abroad?” he wondered.

Since Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was named in the JIT report, the PTI is demanding his resignation and is making hectic efforts in dislodging Pakistan Peoples’ Party government in Sindh.

Senior PTI leaders claimed that they are in contact with PPP lawmakers and will move a no-confidence motion against the chief minister.

During hearing, the bench ordered the Interior Minister to appear before the court and explain the government’s position in this regard.

The CJP wondered how the JIT report was leaked to the media.

When asked, head of Joint Investigation Team, Ehsan Sadiq, stated that the contents were not leaked from the JIT Secretariat.

The court also approved a request by the counsels of PPP supremo Asif Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur for extension in deadline to submit their reply in the case.